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in  2008  with  funding  from 

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The  Clover  Club 

FROM 

A  CLUB  POET'S 

POINT  OF  VIEW. 


^  liltic,   giacn  scasoiiabltj,   excuses  a  great  gift. 

—  Old  Saw. 


The  Clover  Club : 

FROM 

A  CLUB  POET'S 

POINT  OF  VIEW. 


philadelphia: 

The  Clover-Leaf  Company,  Limited. 

1884. 


/-/:> 


Privately  printed. 


Edition  limited  to  12^  copies,  of  zvhich  this  is 
No.T^.O 


Press  of  Allen,  Lane  &  Scott. 


1128189 


©Ifte  Si)egiat2ing. 


THE  Clover  Club  was  born  of  a  deliberate 
purpose.  This  implies  that  it  was  not 
found  under  a  cabbage-leaf,  nor  was  it  brought 
home  by  the  doctor.*  It  was  one  of  the 
blessings  of  Anno  Domini  1882;  though  the 
cause  that  led  to  its  happy  coming  dates 
back  two  years  more,  to  an  afternoon  with  the 
lotos-eaters,  when 

All  was  jollity,  feasting,  and  mirth,  light  wantonness  and  laughter 
Piping  and  playing,  minstrelsies  and  masking. 
Till  care  fled  from  us  like  an  idle  dream. 

On   this   occasion   a   serious    suggestion 
was  offered  after  the  dinner — which  was  given, 


[*  Edward  Bedloe,  1224  Walnut  Street.    Hours  10  to  17.] 


that  "farewell"  to  one  of  the  boys  might  have  in 
it  less  of  shadow  and  more  of  the  substance  of 
friendship, — a  sut^gestion  that  as  communion 
of  heart  and  parley  of  soul  were  so  seldom 
enjoyed,  a  club  should  be  formed  to  break 
down  the  barriers  of  non-acquaintance  and  out 
of  acceptable  accjuaintances  make  good  friends. 
The  suggestion  received  a  double  encore  ;  was 
adopted  unanimous!)-;  placed  in  the  care  of  a 
committee;  and  grew  and  grew  until  it  was  no 
longer  a  suggestion,  but  an  accomplished  fact. 
The  Club  thus  inaugurated  was  a  source 
of  profound  satisfaction.  It  la.sted  a  )x\ir,  and 
then  the  Clover  Club  was  started  on  a  somewhat 


differing  basis,  with  somewhat  wider  aims,  and 
with  a  more  earnest  zeal.  It  was  composed  at 
its  inception — as  now — of 

Congenial  spirits,  each  a  self-formed  chief, 
As  great  as  any  chief  in  club-life  lore  ; 

Born  to  extend  her  glory,  all  too  brief, 
Beyond  what  Philadelphia  knew  before. 

The  organization  prospered  from  the  hour 
of  its  birth.  Since  then  two  years  have  caught 
on  to  the  scroll  of  history,  and  the  name  and 
fame  of  the  Clover  Club  shine  with  a  lustre 
that  its  most  earnest  supporters  hardly  hoped 
for.  The  era  of  good-fellowship,  the  cycle  of 
friendship,  is  fervid,  undimmed,  unviolated  still. 


©Jfte  (sKrinx^. 


\|oTRE^^^ 


TO   DAY  DEEP   ■     _  ,_        ::    .,      n   me   resolve  to 

DRENCH    IN    MIRTH,    WHICH    ATTER   NO 
i-i    REPENTING    DRAWS    ;|: 

M  I  LT  OkI 


THE  Clover  Club  bears  Royal  arms. 
Nineteenth  in  direct  succession  to  the 
lotos-eaters  of  the  Odyssean  land,  it  wears 
by  hereditary  right  the  four-leafed  clover, 
to-day  the  nearest  approach  in  American  na- 
ture to  the  lotos-leaf 

It  is  not  needful  here  to  trace  the  transfor- 
mation of  the  lotos-leaf  into  that  of  the  clover. 
The  main  link  in  the  long  chain  of  delight  is 
discovered  in  the  imperial  arms  of  the  Mikado 
of  Japan,  which  contain  this  representation  of 
the  lotos, — a  fair  outline  of  Pennsylvania  clover 


were  it  grown  for  heraldry  and  not  for  fodder. 
The  leaf  additional  to  the  common  three 
which  appears  in  the  CIovxt 
arms  denotes  that  advantage 
in  life — a  margin  of  five  per 
cent.  — enjoyed  by  the  Clover 
fellows  and  denied    to  ordi- 
nary mortals. 
Beneath  the  clover-leaf  are  crossed  quills. 
From  time  immemorial  these  have  been  better 
than  swords  as  weapons  of  fence  ;  hence  their 
adoption  by  that  profession  which    made  the 
Clover  Club  a  necessity  and  a  possibility.    The 
quills  are  well-pointed  and  well-feathered,  that 


the  points  may  be  more  deftly  made.     For  in 
clover 

Sense  is  the  helmet ;  wit  is  but  the  phime : 
The  plume  exposes  ;  'tis  the  hehnet  saves. 

The  quills  were  obtained,  after  long  and 
direct  intercession  with  the  gods,*  from  the 
restless,  purple  wings  of  Pegasus. 

Above  the  clover-leaf  is  a  gridiron, — a 
symbolical  instrument  unknown  to  the  lotos- 
eaters,  those  broilers  beneath  that  sun 

Whose  flaming  hair 

Did  every  day  gild  either  hemisphere — 

and  who  were  denied  the  7norccaitx  that  made 
famous    the    Beefsteak    Club,  and  which    are 

♦Committee  on  Intercession:  B.  K.Jamison,  M.  M.  Gillam,  R. 
W.  Merrill,  Sol  Smith  Russell,  and  Rafael  Varrios. 


doint;  now  a  like  service  for  the  Clover.  The 
gridiron  is  of  silver :  no  base  metal  could  be 
trusted  to  keep  the  palate  pure. 

Round  the  emblems,  fashioned  in  court- 
eous shape,  is  the  cordon  bleu,  that  since  the 
days  of  the  Count  d'Olonne  and  the  Knights 
of  St.  l{s])rit  has  stood  the  sign-manual  of 
good  cooker)'.  It  was  adopted  by  the  Clover 
Club  in  order  to  perpetuate  its  greatest  beau- 
ties and  illustrate  its  rarest  virtues.  Above 
the  cordon  bleu  stands  the  trii)od,  the  chaffing- 
dish  of  the  original  lotos-eaters,  and  within  it 
a  touch  of  Promethian  fire. 

Two  inscriptions  complete  the  arms.    That 


over  the  tripod — A  votrc  Saute — is  the  war-cry 
of  an  honest  table,  significant  of  the  unforced 
hospitahty  of  the  Clover  board.  That  beneath 
the  ribbon — 

To-day  deep  thoughts  with  me  resolve  to  drench  in  mirth, 
Which  after  no  repenting  draws 

a  glorious  invitation  to  the  funeral  of  care — 
is  from  Milton's  "  Paradise  Regained,"  and 
adds  further  testimony  to  the  poet's  power  of 
divination.  He  foresaw  its  application.  To- 
gether, the  inscriptions  teach  the  whole  lesson 
of  the  clover-blossom,  as  propagated  by  the 
Clover  Club,* 

Whose  gentle  fragrance  was  not  made 
For  halls  of  woe. 


♦Committee  on  Propagation,  the   officers,  ex  officio,  and   all 
active  members. 


ffte  Men. 


THE  Clover  Club  takes  its  animating  in- 
fluence from  journalists.  Though  they 
constitute  but  half  of  the  Club,  they  were  its 
founders,  and  remain  to-day  its  most  earnest 
promoters.  It  is  more  necessary  to  their  ex- 
istence, to  the  life  they  lead,  to  lighten  the 
drudgery  of  their  paper  chains,  than  to  the 
career  of  their  fellow-Cloverites,  who  furnish 
such  shining  ornaments  to  the  bench,  the  bar, 
and  the  banking-house. 

The  Club  has  for  officers  a  president,  a 
vice-president,  a  secretary  and  treasurer,  and 


an  executive  committee  of  two  members,  in 
addition  to  the  officers  just  nanied.  These 
gentlemen  are  elected  at  the  will  of  the  Club, 
and  hold  office  under  the  same  sweet  permis- 
sion. Since  the  organization  the  officers  have 
remained  unchanged,  with  the  exception  of 
short  period  of  1882,  when  Mr.  E.  J.  Swartz 
held  the  office  of  secretary.  The  officers  are, 
therefore :  — 

President,  Moses  Purnell  Handy. 

Vice-President,  William  Ralston  Balch. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Chas.  Ridgway  Deacon. 

Executive  Committee,  the  above,  and 
Thomas  M.  Jackson, 
Thomas  Potter,  Jr. 


;  4*-4--' 


The  president  is  a  tall,  well-mannered 
man,  with  blonde  whiskers,  and  a  coronal  of 
locks  that  become  him  like  "the  orb  that 
ushers  in  the  day."  He  is  a  Southerner,  and 
during  the  late  unpleasantness  gathered  such 
clover-buds  as  blossomed  beneath  the  Con- 
federate flag.  Since  the  war  he  has  taken 
a  star  course  in  journalism,  and  at  present 
guides  the  destinies  of  The  Philadelphia  Press 
from  the  poop-deck  of  that  venerable  craft. 
His  duties  at  the  Clover  Club  consist  mainly 
in  a  constant — sometimes  frantic,  yet  always 
successful  —  effort  to  restore  order  out  of 
chaos,  and  reduce  Bedloe  to  submission.     He 


presides  with  virility,  promptness,  and  is 
altogether  a  man  of  savoir  fairc.  He  is  the 
inventor  of  the  popular  phrase,  "  We  have 
with  us  this  evening." 

The  vice-president  is  charged  with  steady- 
ing the  procession  at  the  tagglc  end  of  the 
hne,  and  of  maintaining  as  much  silence  as 
is  possible  to  hotel  waiters  when  eloquence 
demands  a  hearing.  If  the  president  is  absent 
the  vice-president  assumes  the  gavel,  borrows 
the  president's  chair,  and  sets  up  for  himself 
In  appearance  the  vice-president — a  spectacled 
fellow  —  is  above  the  medium  height,  and 
sports  a  beard.      He  inclines  to  verse,  and  is, 


on  occasions,  a  haberdasher  to  the  muses,  a 
pot  poet.     For 

Poet  and  pot  differ  but  in  a  letter, 

Which  makes  the  poet  love  the  pot  the  better. 

The  secretary  and  treasurer  is  the  Club 
jewel.  Upon  his  shoulders  come  the  money 
cares,  the  letter-writing,  and  all  the  exertion 
necessary  to  a  successful  club  existence.  He 
keeps  the  accounts  and  the  worries,  issues  the 
notices,  keeps  his  temper  when  no  answers  are 
sent,  records  the  history,  and  in  general  super- 
vises the  life  of  the  Club.  He  is  one  of  the 
good  things  of  this  world  that  are  done  up 
in  small  bundles. 

The    two  Toms,  both  royal-blooded  fel- 


.5iu5ii5iliil5CJfE=R=5iL5fc5iiSi5t5iL5^^ 


lows,  make  up  the  list  of  officers.  One  is  large 
and  stout,  the  other  stout  and  small.  They 
both  are  workers  for  the  Club's  good,  which 
they  have  done  much  to  foster  since  the 
beginning.  The  first  mentioned  is  a  leader  of 
the  Club  commentators. 

These  five  form  the  executive  committee, 
which  has  general  charge  of  the  Club's  wel- 
fare. The  committee  meets  once  a  month — 
in  spirit — and  maps  out  the  coming  work. 
In  session  they  are  seen  as  opposite.  To  their 
care  is  committed  the  selection  of  names  to 
be  balloted  for  whenever  a  vacancy  occurs 
in  the  magic  circle  of  the  Club  membership. 


LT'  "^^^IS']  ■<ki\  '^ — )»ii| 


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III 


k 


'L. 


u--\< 


The  arduous,  wearying  work  of  this  commit- 
tee, however,  is  not  so  often  performed  in 
full  regalia  as  indicated  in  the  illustration. 
Whenever  it  is  not  possible  to  assemble  the 
committee,  the  duties  are  entrusted  to  another, 
and  a  session  is  held  as  suggested  in  the 
picture,  which  tells 

A  tale  as  clear 
And  bright  as  if  it  was  decanted. 

The  further  work  of  the  Club,  and  the 
most  important  next  to  that  performed  by 
the  executive  committee,  is  entrusted  to  the 
dinner  committee,  three  members  appointed 
each  month  by  the  president.  These  gentle- 
men assemble  at  the  Hotel  Bellevue,  talk  the 


Col.  F.  A.  Burr, 
J.  L.  Carncross, 
C.  R.  Deacon, 

Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
Thos.  Donaldson, 
Judge  Thos.  R,  Elcock, 

M.    M.    GiLLAM, 

M.  P.  Handv,  President. 
J.  H.  Heverin, 
T.  M. Jackson, 
B.  K.  Jamison, 
Jas.  H.  Lambert, 


W.  H.  Lex, 
Col.  Wm.  Ludlow, 
R.  W.  Merrill, 
W.  B.  Merrill, 
L.  N.  Megargee, 
O.  E.  McClellan, 
A.  K.  McClure, 
Thos.  Potter,  Jr., 
George  G.  Pierie, 
RuFus  E.  Shaplev, 
Chas.  Emory  Smith, 
J.  R.  Wood. 


NON-RESIDENT  MEMBERS. 

Capt.  R.  C.  Clipperton,  I    Paymaster  M.  C.  MacDonald, 

British  Consul,  j                                          L'.  S.  N. 

Col.  B.  Frank  Eshleman,  General  W.  H.  MacCartney, 

Lancaster,  Pa.  Wilkesbarre. 

Chas.  Burdett  Hart,  Col.  John  A.  McCaull, 

Wheeling,  W.  \a.  New  York. 

W.  U.  Hensel,  F.  a.  Richardson, 

Lancaster  Intelligencer.  I                         Washington,  D.  C. 
Senor  Rafael  Varrios,  Mexican  Consul. 


HONORARY  MEMBERS. 


Hon.  H.  H.  Bingham, 
Daniel  Dougherty,  Esq., 


Hon.  Henry  M.  Hoyt 
Sol  Smith  Russell. 


who  spreads  the  fair  fame  of  the  Clover  by 
special  trains  and  similar  "  caprices,"  and  wears 
well  the  high  coronet  of  good  men's  esteem. 
Draw  once  more,  the  prize  is  the  sweet-voiced 
singer  who  charms  a  wonder  in  all  ears — 

The  soft  spring 

Chides  not  the  pebbles  that  disturb  her  course 

With  sweeter  murmur— 

and  adds  to  many  an  hour  a  brighter  glow,  a 
more  fervid  memory.  Finally,  for  could  all 
the  men  be  told  in  type  mosaic  a  library  were 
necessary,  the  Club's  wise  providence  in  mem- 
bership is  again  demonstrated  in  the  face  of 
him  who  makes  current  a  nation's  currency. 


©J^e  (S^ue/^t/b, 


>^cJCl^ 


THE  Clover  Club  was  born  with  hospitality 
for  a  nurse.  By  the  time  it  was  a 
month  old  it  had  twice  demonstrated  one  of 
the  prime  purposes  of  its  existence.  It  was 
started  to  entertain,  and  it  has  never  departed 
from  so  wise  a  course.  Time  has  proved 
hospitality  to  be  a  bonne  of  the  rarest  order. 

Blest  be  that  spot,  where  cheerful  guests  retire 
To  pause  from  toil,  and  trim  their  evening  fire ; 

Blest  that  rare  board  that  has  no  seat  for  care, 
Yet  every  stranger  finds  a  ready  chair. 

Blest  be  those  feasts  with  joyous  plenty  crown'd, 
Where  all  the  Clover  family  around 

Laugh  at  the  jests  or  pranks  that  never  fail, 

Or  join  th'  applause  that  greets  the  well-told  tale, 

Or  press  the  honored  stranger  to  his  food, 
And  learn  the  luxury  of  doing  good. 


The  right  haiul  of  good-fellowship  has  in 
the  two  years  of  the  Club's  existence  been 
extended  to  the  follow  ing  blossoms  from  other 
fields  than  ours  : — 


Oeo.  W.  AiuikIcI, 
W.  T.  Adreon, 
W.  Anderson, 
Rudf.  Aaronson, 
J.  H.  Alexander, 
Hon.  Felipe  Arellano, 
Louis  Aldrich, 
Prof.  E.  T.  Bristoe, 
Lawrence  Barrett, 
Serjeant  Ballanline, 
Gen.  J.  A.  Beaver, 
Hon.  H.  H.  Bingham, 
Count  Bozenta, 
Maj.  J.  Henrj'  Behan, 
Dr.  C.  C.  Bombaugh, 
E.  C.  Brown, 
E.J.  Bnckley, 
Harry  Blynn, 
E.  Brainerd, 
Dr.  Bradley, 


Hon.  Geo.  H.  Boker, 
Chas.  F.  Berwind, 
John  W.  Bailey, 
Wharton  Barker, 
F.  M.  Brooke, 
H.  C.  Burchard, 
W.  P.  Blake, 
Chas.  W.  Brooke, 
Frank  Briscoe, 
H.  De  C.  Brolasky, 
Geo.  C.  Boniface,  Jr., 
J.  D.  O'Bryan, 
Col.  Sam'l  Ball, 
J.  T.  Boyle, 
Jno.  G.  Brenner, 
T.  Hewson  Bradford, 
Gen.  H.T.  C.  Collis, 
Att.-Gen.  L.  C.  Cassidy, 
Gen.  W.  H.  MacCartney, 
Hon.  J.  R.  McCaninion, 


Page  McCarty, 
W.  J.  Comley, 
Geo.  L.  McCahon, 
Geo.  Cramp, 
Frank  Clements, 
Col.  J.  A.  McCaull, 
J.  R.  Claghorn, 
\Vm.  P.  Copeland, 
Joseph  McCall, 
J.  S.  MacCartney, 
Geo.  A.  Cotton, 
Jno.  McClure, 
Ex-Gov.  A.  G.  Curtin, 
Hon.  T.  V.  Cooper, 
Capt.  R.J.  Cook, 
C.  A.  Chizzola, 
George  Crump, 
Jno.  McCutcheon, 
Bartley  Campbell, 
J.  G.  McCann, 
Chas.  H.  Cramp, 
Wm.  Carleton, 
Geo.  D.  McCreary, 
J.  W.  Coplestone, 
Nath.  E.  Childs, 
Col.  R.  P.  Dechert, 
H.  C.  Disston, 
Hamilton  Disston, 
Geo.  E.  Deacon, 


Geo.  De  Haven, 
Dr.  C.  F.  MacDonald, 
Hon.  S.  B.  Dick, 
Gwynne  Donaldson, 
H.  E.  Dixey, 
G.  Drouin, 
W.  W.  Dudley, 
Adj. -Gen.  R.  C.  Drum, 
L.  Clarke  Davis, 
H.  R.  Deacon, 
Chas.  A.  Dougherty, 
Hon.  R.  A.  Elmer, 
Adam  Everly, 
Dr.  Chas  J.  Essig, 
T.  N.  Ely, 
Hon.  M.  F.  Elliott, 
J.  B.  Ecclesine, 
Hon.  S.  B.  Elkins, 
Sol.  Foster,  Jr., 
Geo.  W.  Fairman, 
Ensign  Fuller, 
Jas.  M.  Ferguson, 
Dixon  Fullerton, 
Thos.  Fraser, 
Jas.  D.  Fish, 
Wm.  J.  Florence, 
Geo.  S.  Graham, 
John  Gallagher, 
Dr.  F.  H.  Getchell, 


C.  A.  Griscom, 
Prof.  J.  E.  Garrettson, 
N.  C.  Goodwin,  Jr., 
Dr.  S.  M.  Gross, 
Hon.  Malcolm  Hay, 
(Jen.  Huidckoper, 
Hon.  A.  D.  Hazen, 
Aug.  Heaton, 
Clarence  Hart, 
W.  U.  Henscll, 
Gen.  J.  R.  Hawley, 
Ex. -Gov.  J.  F.  Hartranft, 
Col.  E.  B.  Hackett, 
Frank  Hatton, 
Jas.  M.  Hall, 
Hugh  Hastings,  Jr., 
A.  H.  Hoeckley, 
Wm.  F.  Harrity, 
Judge  Wm.  Haydon, 
Hon.  Geo.  Hoadley, 
Granville  B.  Haines, 
J.  H.  Haverly, 
A.  G.  Hetherington, 
W.  H.  Hartman, 
Thos.  Hovenden, 
Henrj'  Howe, 
C.  C.  Isaacs, 
Henry  Irving, 
Howard  M.  Jenkins, 


\V.  H.  Johnstone, 
E.  Harper  Jeffries, 
J.  R.  Jones, 
Tom  Karl, 
J.  E.  Kingsley, 

E.  F.  Kingsley, 
H.  F.  Keenan, 
Judge  Kirkpatrick, 
J.  J.  McKenna, 
Prof.  J.J.  Kelly, 
Hon.  J.  J.  Knox, 
A.  J.  Kauffman, 
Wm.  W.  Ker, 
Geo.  P.  Lathrop, 
Dr.  J.  G.  Eee, 

T.  J.  Lindsay, 
W.  E.  Littleton, 
David  H.  Lane, 
Fred  Lovejoy, 
Dr.  T.  G.  Lavvver, 
Herbert  Lowery, 

F.  McLaughlin,  Jr., 
Jas.  Lewis, 

Jules  Levy, 
F.  A.  Lister, 
Fred  Leslie, 
Chas.  Lawrence, 
C.  G.  Leland, 
J.  Beaufoy  Lane, 


H.  W.  Marston, 

Jos.  D.  Murphy, 

Col.  Miliken, 

Chas.  A.  Menduin, 

Peter  Moran, 

Chief-Justice  Ulysses  Mercur, 

Col.  M.  R.  Muckle, 

E.  J.  Matthews, 
John  St.  Maur, 
Thos.  J.  Morrell, 
Jno.  A.  Mackey, 

F.  A.  Marden, 
Wm.  Mallory, 
Marcus  R.  Mayer, 
E.  Coppee  Mitchell, 
Morton  McMichael, 
M.  C.  Nickerson, 
Col.  A.  W.  Norris, 
Col.  H.  C.  Nutt, 
Wm.  M.  Neall, 
John  Norris, 

Dr.  Neall, 
R.  G.  Oellers, 
Henry  M.  Pitt, 
Ex-Atl'y-Gen.  Palmer, 
J.  H.  Parker, 
W.  E.  Patton, 
Ex-Gov.  W.  J.  Pollock, 
Chas.  E.  Pugh, 


E.  W.  Peet, 
E.  T.  Postlethwaite, 
E.  A    Perry, 
Harry  Pepper, 
Malcolm  Peters, 
R.  P.  Porter, 

E.  D.  Price, 
W.  H.  Ruby, 

F.  A.  Richardson, 
H.  J.  Ramsdell, 
W.  W.  Reisinger, 
Prof.  De  P.  Ricketts, 
Judge  W.  A.  Richardson, 
R.  B.  Risk, 

VV.  J.  Roney, 
L.  P.  Richardson, 
Hon.  S.J.  Randall, 
A.  R.  Roberts, 
Sir  Randall  Roberts, 
Wm.  M.  Singerly, 
Col.  W.  F.  Shaffer, 
Col.  A.  L.  Snovvden, 
J.  H.  Shakespeare, 
Chas.  T.  Sisco, 
W.  H.  Shyrock, 
Winthrop  Smith, 
J.  S.  Semon, 
F.  B.  Schell, 
Tomaso  Salvini, 


Annual  Exhibition. 

'"He's  a  gentleman 
AND    A  TR/ENQ     or    X       ^ 


This  is  the  record — a  proud  record  for  so 
young  an  organization!  It  would  almost 
induce  the  belief  that  were  such  customs  and 
such  entertainers  more  numerous,  Death  would 
throw  away  his  calendar  and  become  careless, 
and  the  life  of  man  would  no  longer  be  a 
winter  way. 


Ufie  ©ux^tomx«>. 


IF  hospitality  was  the  nurse  of  the  Clover 
Club,  originality  was  its  God-mother.  In 
the  career  upon  which  it  entered,  custom  in 
its  literal  sense 

That  takes  from  us  the  privilege 
To  be  ourselves 

was  discarded,  and  no  rules  adopted  that 
savored  of  formality  or  foolishness.  The 
membership  was  limited  to  thirty  active,  ten 
non-resident,  and  ten  honorary  members. 
Guests  were  limited  to  two  invited  by  the 
Club,  and  about  ten  invited  by  the  members 
at  members'  expense.     These  limitations  were 


wisely  designed  in  order  that  no  unwieldiness 
should  be  a  result  of  popularity,  and  at  no 
dinner  should  the  Club  be  so  large  as  to 
prevent  a  conversation  from  being  general. 
The  dinner  committee  is  always  interdicted 
from  ordering  an  expensive  dinner ;  and  as 
members  pay  for  their  own  wines,  the  Club- 
life  does  not  mean  to  the  unwealthy  members 
absolute  discomfort,  as  so  often  is  apt  to  be 
the  case. 

The  Club  dines  every  fourth  Thursday 
of  tile  year,  with  the  exception  of  the  Thurs- 
days that  fall  in  July  and  August,  at  five 
o'clock    in    the    aftern(^on,   and   at   the   Hotel 


Bellevue.  This  is  often  enough,  the  hour  is 
convenient,  and  the  place  is  unsurpassed.  The 
Club  has  no  other  organization  than  that  neces- 
sary for  good-fellowship  and  hospitality. 

At  the  monthly  dinners  the  Club  gathers 
about  a  table  cunningly  fashioned  in  the  shape 
of  a  four-leaf  clover,  and  after  the  oysters  the 
president,  standing,  drinks  the  health  of  "  Our 
Guests"  in  the  loving  cup, — a  cup  of  beaten 
silver  inwrought  with  golden  clover-leaves, 
and  adorned  with  the  symbolic  arms  of  the 
Club,  and  its  motto, — 

While  we  live,  we  live  in  Clover ; 
When  we  die,  we  die  all  over. 

The  cup  was  presented  by  Thos.  Potter,  Jr. 


When  not  circlin^^  the  board  aiitl  drawin*^- 
tij^htcr  the  bands  of  fricndshij)  that  so  subtly 
are  weaving  the  \-ears  together,  it  rests  upon 
a  large  sih-er  gridiron,  that  figures  in  the  arms, 


decorated  with  the  Club  colors,  red  and  blue. 
The  guests  drink  from  this  cup  standing,  the 
Club  members  sitting. 

A  quaint  little  custom  has,  by  the  inge- 
nuit)'  of  the  Doctor,  been  woven  about  the 
enjoyment  of  the  Club  wine.     If  wine  is  good. 


it  needs  to  be  drunk.  Round  the  Clover 
board  it  is  not  neglected.  Agreeing  with  an 
original  edict  of  the  lotos-eaters,  which  de- 
clares— 

There  are,  if  we  do  rightly  think, 
Five  reasons  why  a  man  should  drink : 
Good  wine,  a  friend,  or  being  drj- — 
Or  lest  you  should  be  by  and  by — 
Or  any  other  reason  why, 

and  especially  endorsing  the  fifth,  the  Clovers 
allow  no  opportunity  to  glide  neglected  into 
the  past.  The  Past  is  little  to  them,  the 
Present  everything.  So  the  peculiar  signifi- 
cance of  the  word  lunv  arose,  and  whenever 
it  is  heard  around  the  board,  every  goblet 
is  raised  and  paid  homage  to.     How  ancient 


this  custom  is  (dating  to  about  the  year  A.  D. 
55),  is  exemplified  in  the  frontispiece  to  this 
recital, — a  copy  of  a  painting  in  the  Judson 
Place  Louvre. 

Of  the  customs  of  speech  and  song  and 
the  customs  of  the  commentators  among  the 
members,  no  words  can  well  describe  them. 
They  can  be  only  felt.  Ere  the  coffee  is 
reached,  the  flow  of  eloquence  begins. 

The  happy  hours  pass  by  us  unperceived, 

So  are  our  souls  fixed  to  the  soft  enchantment, 

and  with  it  a  war  of  wit  is  inaugurated,  quick- 
sprung  from  the  inflaming  blood  of  generous 
grapes;  yet  it  is  gentle,  wholesome,  and  not 
meant  to  more  than  "point  a  moral  and  adorn 


a  tale;"  so  it  is  generously  received,  and  rarely 
falls  on  fallow  ground. 


©Ifte  J^aftiexi). 


iL  ;  J        ^^.' 


A     ^%^ 


L^ 


VERY  early  in  the  history  of  the  Clover 
Club  a  great  struggle  to  obtain  admis- 
sion to  the  charmed  circle  was  begun  by  an 
impatient  public.  The  forlorn  three-leaved  fel- 
lows of  the  world  beyond  began  to  wish,  to 
worry,  and  to  wait  for  the  opening  of  the 
doors.  Vacancies  were  few  and  far  between. 
Only  occasionally  was  there  a  prize  to  be  had. 
Though  the  Club  rule,  that  absence  from  three 
dinners  without  an  excuse,  worked  a  resigna- 
tion, nobody  resigned  in  this  way ;  the  mellow 
light  of  the  Club  champagne  tinting  the  clover- 


buds  was  too  potent  to  be  overthrcnvn  by  any 

counter  charm. 

Yet  a  few  vacancies  occurred.     Each  new 

member  was  inducted  with  more  or  less  pomp 

and  ceremon}'. 
After  a  few  meet- 
ings a  baby  chair 
and  rattle  were 
procured, and  the 
ceremony  par- 
took more  of  an 
ovation.  The 
chair  is  uncom- 
fortable t  h  ou  12"  h 


significant,  and  has  been  or  should  have  been 
occupied  by — 


William  M.  Blnn 

elected  February, 

1882. 

James  H.  Hf.verin,  ..... 

"        March, 

1882. 

Louis  N.  Megargee,  .... 

"        September, 

1882. 

Thomas  Donaldson,   .... 

"        October, 

1882. 

B.  Frank  Eshleman,  N.  R., 

"        November, 

1882. 

W.  U.  Henskl,  N.  R 

"        March, 

1883. 

James  H.  Lambert 

"        March, 

1883. 

RuFus  Shaplev, 

"        September, 

1883. 

F.  A.  Richardson,  N.  R.,     . 

"        September, 

1883. 

W.  W.  MacCartney,  N.  R., 

"        September, 

1883. 

Rafael  Varrios,  N.  R.,    .  . 

"        November, 

1883. 

John  A.  McCaull,  N.  R.,     . 

"        November, 

1883 

Mr.  McCaull  is  the  present  occupant,  and 
his  brother  babies  are  now  gray-headed  in  the 
Club  history 

There  is  yet  another  significance — a  gen- 


tier  one — connected  with  the  baby  member- 
ship of  the  Clovers.  The  Club  takes  babies 
under  its  special  protection,  and  when  a  mem- 
ber becomes  a  happy  father,  the  Clover  Club 
donates  a  silver  spoon  to  its  new-won  proteg^, 
and  an  iron  spoon  to  the  grim  parent.  The 
custom  has  been  blessed  in  much  merriment, 
and  the  babies, 

Whose  crios 
Are  stilled  with  rattles  and  fond  lullabies, 

bear  these  names : — 

Cora  McClure  Handy,  ....  born  January  15th,  1882 
Ethel  Clover  Heverin,  ...  "  Januar>-  2d,  1883 
IJi.YssEs  Mercur  Eshleman,   .      "      March      9th,  1883 

Bradford  Merrill, "     June        27th,  1883 

Regina  Marie  Megargek,  .  .  "  June  29th,  1883 
Louise  Clover  Boldt,    ....     "     October  31st,  1883 


It  is  gratifying  to  note,  in  this  connection, 
that  the  protecting  cEgis  of  the  Clover  Club 
has  brought  to  these  cherubs  a  golden  touch 
of  life,  as  in  them  all 

The  pulse  beats  music,  and  tlie  lively  blood  , 

Danceth  an  healthful  measure. 


^■^e  ^eajt^on./^. 


Il)-f^C 


)pFlI)5. 


Clover,  green  and  new  and  sweet, 
Warmed  by  earth's  returning  heat, 

Hear  my  greeting  now  to  thee. 
With  the  Spring's  own  poesie. 

I  remain  thy  vot'ry  true, 

And  thy  wildwood  paths  pursue  ; 

So  then.  Clover,  do  thou  deign 
Let  me  stay  among  thy  train, 

Pleased  e'er  with  thee  to  meet 
In  this  gentle  rural  seat, 

Where  I  gladsome  oft  survey 
Nature  in  her  best  array : 

Woods  and  lawns  and  streams  between 
Fields  of  grain  and  hedges  green. 

Fallow  grounds  of  tawny  hue. 
Distant  hills  and  mountains  blue ; 


J^^-n^^-ISSl-Im-rs'-I^;^-Iip-fiP-Ji:^-fiP-'^:^~f^:^~^m-J^:^-J^rl-^^^'l 


While  in  pastures  rich  below, 
'Mong  the  grazing  cattle,  slow 

Moves  the  bull,  with  heavy  tread, 
Hanging  down  his  lumpish  head, 

And  the  carpet  'neath  his  feet 
Sports  a  thousand  leaves  as  sweet 

As  the  rarest  of  perfumes. 
As  the  coming  Clover  blooms. 


Il).f^C 


>uir)rr)er'. 


When  soft  the  crimson-tinted  East 
Makes  promise  true  of  coming  feast ; 

And  when  the  sun  in  splendor  dressed, 
Lights  up  the  waters  of  the  West ; 

And  when  the  whirling  bird  on  high 
Shrill  pipes  the  anthem  of  the  sky, — 

'Tis  then  my  heart,  oh.  Clover  sweet, 
Forsakes  its  couch  thy  face  to  greet ! 

Now,  gnarled  cedars  on  the  crest. 
Full  sleeping  in  the  Summer  rest. 

Bend  soft  above  thy  tempered  green. 
And  stay  the  winds  that  blow  atween : 

For  that  thy  blossom's  ripest  power 
May  rich  embalm  the  noontide  hour, 

For  each,  the  toilers  on  the  strand, 
In  this  late  Summer's  Clover-land  : 


-'pLj=v-f^v-j=vj=x-f=^=^=wi;^-J»^g-fiit-<j-/;;i-rj-/ir-J=^->;;T-J=t-)ST-f^^ 


While  still  upborne  on  breeze  along 
Rises  the  Ocean's  ceaseless  song, 

That,  heard  upon  this  sand-strown  shore. 
When  England's  first  ambassador 

Grounded  his  keel,  and  knew  that  care 
Was  dead  in  this,  the  Wanderer's  prayer. 

Now,  o'er  the  bosom  of  the  bay 
There  conies  the  march  of  fading  day  ; 

And  sunset's  melting  heart  of  gold — 
That  seems  so  many  ages  old — 
In  molten  rays,  on  either  hand. 
Falls  soft  as  sleep  on  Clover-land  ; 

While  pure  the  South  wind  brings  perfumes. 
Heart  stolen  from  the  t'lover-blooms. 


ir)  •  f  ^e  •  (ao.ulurr)r). 


Soon  as  the  evening  clouds  have  shed 
Translucent  store  on  earth's  sad  bed, 

And  through  their  flowing  mantles  thin, 
Clear  azure  spots  of  sky  are  seen, 

I  quit  the  clover-scented  bower 

To  know  the  boon  of  new-fallen  shower, 

To  pace  the  corn-field's  grassy  edge 
Close  by  the  long-blown  brier  hedge : 

I  see  at  every  sere  leaf's  end 
The  pearly  drops  of  rain  depend. 

And  fresh  the  earthy  fragrance  round 
Arises  from  the  moistened  ground : 

While  the  rude  cawing  of  the  crows, 
Down-borne  on  every  wind  that  blows, 

Comes  with  the  wild-eyed  swallow's  flight- 
That  seems  a  dusk  athwart  the  light — 


Down  wliere  the  winding  ijallis  are  seen, 
The  stately  pines  and  elms  between  ; 

And  points  the  hand,  so  stern  and  sere, 
That  tells  the  waning  of  the  year. 

Vet  still  afar,  on  fields  outspread, 
The  Clover  nods  its  purple  head, 

And  green  invades  each  changing  path — 
The  sweetest  summer  aftermath — 

And  kisses  soft  the  chilling  breath. 
Gray  Autumn's  incense,  Autumn  death. 


Ir)  •  ij^<z  •  w  ir)f 


dj?. 


The  wind-vvhipt  fields  that  weeks  ago 
Knew  not  the  march  of  Winter,  slow, 

And  still  were  mantled  brown  and  green. 
Now  covered  are  by  Winter's  sheen. 

The  Clover-blossom  from  our  sight 

All  hidden  lies  'neath  snow-blooms  white  : 

Yet  it  uprears  its  purple  face 
Within  a  well-appointed  place. 

Where  is  Health,  with  ruddiest  cheek. 
And  lively  air  and  visage  meek. 

Attended  is  as  wont  to  be. 
By  all  her  jolly  company  ! 

Ah  !   there  the  windows,  glowing  bright. 
Cast  forth  afar  a  pleasing  light. 

Borrowed  from  clouds  of  scarlet  dye, 
Just  as  the  sun  did  leave  the  sky : 


And  there  in  Clover  lei  ine  meet 
The  vial  touched  by  fiiijjers  neat, 

With  my  quick  soul  attuned  to  hear 
The  voice  harmonious,  sweet,  and  clear. 

Nor  shall  the  rarest  converse  fail 
To  each  in  well-devised  tale  ; 

And  stories  linked,  to  twist  a  chain 
That  may  awhile  old  'I'imc  detain. 

And  make  him  rest  upon  his  scythe, 
Content  to  see  the  hours  so  blithe : 

While  with  a  truly  welcome  face 
The  Clover,  sovereign  of  the  place, 

Quick  wins  the  heart  of  every  guest 
By  courteous  deeds  ;    and  all  contest 

Which  shall  readiest  homage  show, 

And  which  give  most  what  hearts  bestow. 


Ij'Br)^ 


'oi. 

Dear  Clover-Blossom  : — Adieu  for  an- 
other twelvemonth.  Pardon  the  presumptions 
of  the  course  I  have  led  you  ;  the  pitfalls  of 
my  prose  intentions  ;  the  slips  of  my  pencil ; 
the  tricks  of  my  half-wise  muse.  At  every 
turn  almost  I  have  been  tempted  to  exclaim — 

Bui  hold  !  this  is  too  high  a  flight : 

I  fear  we  both  shall  come  to  shame  : 
Return,  my  muse,  whilst  we  have  light ; 

I  am  half-blind,  and  you  are  lame. 


FINIS. 


p 


p 


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